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This Cranberry Jalapeño Dip is my go to holiday appetizer when I want something festive, flavorful, and guaranteed to get people hovering around the snack table. It hits that sweet, tangy, spicy sweet spot, and it tastes just like the famous Costco style version, but I can make it anytime.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This is a great recipe. I’ve made it a couple times now & it tastes just like what you can buy at Costco or Sams. Thanks for sharing it ❤️” – Karen
“We first found this dip at Costco and loved it! Unfortunately it sold out very fast and because the cranberries are seasonal they would not be bringing it back. I set out to find a copycat recipe and came upon this recipe. It is fantastic!! I didn’t change a thing and it came out perfect. I bought extra bags of cranberries to freeze so that I can make this dip year round. Thank you for the great recipe!!” – Gabriella
“I really like this recipe because first of all YUM, second of all it gives me the choice of how hot I want to make it for my guests!” – Michele
Why I Love This Dip
I first tried this dip when I had the Stonemill Kitchens Cranberry Jalapeño Dip from Costco. I don’t know about your Costco, but it flies off the shelves during the holidays. I wanted a version that was just as creamy, just as tangy, and just as delicious, but one I could make at home whenever I wanted.
Tart cranberries with spicy jalapeños and bright lime juice make the flavor so fun, and the creamy base pulls it all together into the kind of dip you keep going back to. It feels perfect for holiday parties, Christmas dinners, and honestly any time you want an appetizer that tastes like you tried really hard, even though it’s super simple.
🩷 Kelsey
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Produce: cranberries, jalapeño, green onion, lime juice
- Creamy base: softened cream cheese and sour cream
- Seasoning: sugar and salt
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- For less spice, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño before blending.
- For even less heat, swap the jalapeño for green bell pepper.
- If you want it extra spicy, leave in some seeds or use an extra jalapeño.
- If you like a more tangy dip, add a little extra lime juice to taste.
How to Make Cranberry Jalapeño Dip
- Blend the cranberry mixture. Add cranberries, jalapeño, green onion, sugar, and lime juice to a blender. Pulse or blend on low until just combined, and keep it chunky.
- Remove excess moisture. Pat some of the moisture off the cranberry mixture so the dip stays thick and creamy.
- Mix until creamy. Add the cranberry mixture to a mixing bowl, then add cream cheese, sour cream, and salt. Mix with a stand mixer or hand mixer until fully incorporated.
- Serve. Serve right away or chill, then serve with crackers, chips, pretzels, or fresh veggies.
What to Serve With It
I love serving this with a mix of crunchy and fresh options so everyone has something to scoop with.
- Carrots or celery sticks
- Cucumber slices
- Tortilla chips
- Pita chips
- RITZ crackers
- Wheat Thins or Triscuit Crackers
- Sliced bell peppers
- Pretzels or potato chips
Recipe Tips
- Roughly chop the jalapeños and green onions before blending so you get consistently sized chunks.
- You want the cranberries chopped, not pureed, so use pulse or low speed and stop once it’s just combined.
- Patting off moisture helps the dip stay thick instead of turning watery.
- Softened cream cheese makes mixing faster and smoother.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your jalapeño. For mild, remove all seeds and ribs. For more heat, leave some in.
Our version is gluten-free. All the ingredients we used are gluten-free, but if you make changes to the recipe, it may not be gluten-free anymore.
You’d be surprised what dishes this dip tastes good with. This spicy cream cheese mixture makes a great sandwich spread! Try it on turkey or chicken sandwiches with vegetables like cucumber and carrot. The flavor combination is great! Also, try it with Thanksgiving leftovers.
Pat the cranberry mixture to remove extra moisture before mixing it with the cream cheese base.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: You can make this ahead and chill it until you’re ready to serve.
- Storage: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Place in a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
More Dip Recipes
This Cranberry Jalapeño Dip is the kind of easy appetizer that looks fancy on a platter and tastes like something you’d buy at Costco, but better because you can tweak the heat level for your guests. If you make it, I’d love if you left a rating and shared what you served it with, because the serving ideas are half the fun. 💛
Cranberry Jalapeño Dip
Video
Ingredients
- 6 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 jalapeno pepper,, seeded and chopped
- 3 green onions,, chopped
- ½ cup sugar
- juice of 1 lime
- 16 ounces cream cheese,, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, jalapeno, green onion, sugar, and lime juice to a blender. Pulse or blend on low until just combined. You still want chunks of cranberry.
- Pat some of the moisture off of the cranberry mixture and then add it to a mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and salt. Mix with a stand mixer or hand mixer until everything is fully incorporated.
- Serve with celery sticks, cucumber slices, tortilla chips, pita chips, RITZ crackers, Wheat Thins, sliced bell peppers, or pretzels.
Notes
- Roughly chop the jalapeños and green onions before blending for consistently sized chunks.
- For a less spicy dip, remove all seeds and ribs from the jalapeño before blending.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Thank you so much for this !!! Every year when this comes out around the holidays I always grab 6 of these because they sell out so fast at Costco. I freeze them down until I need them then wish I had more. Now I can make this anytime I want and don’t have to wait till Christmas Time !! I can’t wait to make this and give it a try !!!! Thank You Again !!!!
Excited for you to try it! Let us know how you like it 🙂
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it a couple times now & it tastes just like what you can buy at Costco or Sams. Thanks for sharing it ❤️
Thank you, Karen. I’m glad you enjoy this recipe!
Looks wonderful, but family doesn’t like hot food,
very good
Little spicy but the sweet balances it out! So good!
Because it is sweet And spicy, it matches with practically every veggie appetizer.
I really like this recipe because first of all YUM, second of all it gives me the choice of how hot I want to make it for my guests!!
this has got to be good. for years i have bought the bottled raspberry and jalopena stuff to pour on a block of cream cheese. this would be similar.
This sounds delicious. I would just have to try to convince my family to try something with cranberries! Love a dip with some heat.
My family love but I’m not so big on Jalepeno peppers
Really good but just a tad to spicy for me. I may cut down on the jalapeno. Perfect for the season!
Who knew, cranberries AND jalapeños!
I’ve been looking for something exactly like this! This is going to be in my holiday roster for sure!
This is my go to appetizer for pot lucks and holiday parties!! Everyone loves it!! I add extra jalapeños just for a little extra kick!!
In the absence of fresh cranberries, can I use frozen ones thawed and patted dry?
I haven’t tried it that way, but it could work! Let us know how it turns out!
We first found this dip at Costco and loved it! Unfortunately it sold out very fast and because the cranberries are seasonal they would not be bringing it back. I set out to find a copycat recipe and came upon this recipe. It is fantastic!! I didn’t change a thing and it came out perfect. I bought extra bags of cranberries to freeze so that I can make this dip year round. Thank you for the great recipe!!
i always freeze cranberries as soon as i buy them they keep forever. when you chop them frozen they dont juice all over everything. should make your recipe better